The location where Walter Scott was murdered

Crime Scene Location North Charleston, South Carolina

This is the location where Walter Scott was murdered.

The shooting took place in an empty lot at 5623 Craig Road in North Charleston, South Carolina.

Shooting

On the morning of April 4, 2015, police officer Michael Slager noticed that a brake light on the back window of Scott's Mercedes wasn't working.

Consequently, he pulled him over in the parking lot of an auto parts store on Remount Road.

Following a short conversation, the officer returned to his patrol car to run Scott's driver's license through the system.

At that time, the 50-year-old owed unpaid child support, a predicament that had landed him in debtors' jail in the past.

Fearing that he would be sent back to jail again, he decided to jump out of his Mercedes and run.

When Officer Slager saw Scott running away, he began to pursue him on foot.

During the short chase, Scott ran south along Craig Road before turning to his right and entering this empty lot.

Map — Scott was stopped in the parking lot of Advance Auto Parts at 1945 Remount Road. After running 200 feet south along Craig Road, he turned to his right. A bystander filmed the incident from an adjacent pathway beside the lot.

Officer Slager eventually caught up to him on the western side of the lot, and the pair became involved in a physical altercation. Following a brief struggle, the officer's taser fell to the ground, and Scott managed to break free and run away.

At that point, Slager pulled out his service weapon and fired eight shots at Scott, five of which hit him.

This Google Street View image of 5623 Craig Road was taken in November 2015, roughly seven months after the incident took place. The shooting occurred on the western side of the lot. We have highlighted the general area in red.

Murder

A bystander named Feidin Santana captured the incident on video. Santana's footage showed that Scott was unarmed and fleeing at the time of the shooting. It also showed Officer Slager picking up his taser from the pathway and dropping it beside the victim's body.

In his report, Slager falsely claimed that Scott had taken his taser. The footage also contradicted claims that responding officers had performed CPR.

Following a review of the evidence, the North Charleston Police Department decided to charge the officer with murder.

Video footage — The video footage showed that Scott had his back turned and was roughly six yards away when Slager opened fire. A police officer can only use deadly force on a fleeing suspect if there is reason to believe that they pose an imminent threat of death or serious physical harm.

Slager's murder trial began in October 2016. However, the judge was forced to declare a mistrial three months later after the jury failed to reach a verdict.

Shortly before his second trial was due to begin, the officer agreed to plead guilty to federal charges of civil rights violations. Consequently, the state dropped its murder charge.

In December 2017, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison after a judge ruled that the "appropriate underlying offense" was second-degree murder.

Michael Slager — An image from the southwestern side of the lot. Credit: Google Maps. In April 2021, a judge upheld Slager's sentence.

Slager is currently incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution in Colorado. He will not be eligible for parole until August 2032.

Address

The address and GPS coordinates for the site are as follows:

Address

5623 Craig Road, North Charleston, South Carolina, SC 29406, USA

GPS Coordinates

32.898099, -80.014961

32°53'53.16"N 80°00'53.86"W

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Area Information

North Charleston is a city on the southeastern coast of South Carolina.

📍 The entrance to the lot is roughly 500 feet south of the intersection between Remount Road and Craig Road. It lies to the east of Charleston International Airport.

This location belongs to the following categories:

Crime Scenes